In Focus
BLEAK DAY
Bury and Bolton EFL exit – League One relegation and League Two promotion explained as Wanderers SAVED and Shakers EXPELLED
BURY have been EXPELLED from the Football League after four late bids to save the Shakers failed.
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The EFL confirmed in a statement late on Tuesday night that the Shakers have been removed from League One.
Bolton, meanwhile, are no longer in danger of being expelled from the EFL after Football Ventures completed a £10m takeover.
How did Bury get into this position and what did the EFL want?
Bury have been fighting against financial problems for several years, and were taken over by businessman Steve Dale last December to theoretically save them from going bust.
Dale bought the club for just £1 - but since then there have been a string of unpaid bills to companies while players and staff have also missed out on wages.
Over the summer, the EFL sought assurances and proof that the Shakers were in a position to be able to play the entire 2019/2020 League One season.
Despite repeated attempts, Dale was unable to come close to showing the finances were in place as required.
In an effort to give the club more time, the EFL suspended their first five league matches of the season and awarded their Carabao Cup tie to Sheffield Wednesday.
But they could not continue the temporary measures for the fairness of the rest of the competition, and issued a deadline of August 23 for proof of funds.
That, and the second deadline of August 27 passed and when no genuine hope of a solution could be found, the EFL enforced the withdrawal notice.
Could Bolton also be expelled from the EFL?
The EFL wanted to see proof either that a takeover has been completed or that the club can play out the rest of the season in administration.
That had not been forthcoming so were been given 14 days as of 5pm on Tuesday to find a buyer or be thrown out of the league.
However, Football Ventures have now purchased the club for £10m meaning their place in the EFL is secure.
Debbie Jevans CBE, EFL Executive Chair, said: "On behalf of the EFL Board, I am pleased that the administrators appointed in respect of Bolton Wanderers Football Club have today concluded the transfer of assets with Football Ventures to place the Club under new ownership and out of administration.
"Having worked closely with the administrators since their appointment in May, the EFL has been focused on working through this difficult and complex period of uncertainty with all parties.
"Following the completion of the sale, the Club is no longer in administration and the notice of withdrawal issued as per the EFL’s insolvency policy has been cancelled.
"These past few months have undoubtedly been challenging and, at times fraught – never more so in the past few days - and I would like to thank all parties for their efforts in achieving the desired outcome.
"I would also like to place on record my grateful appreciation and thanks to the players, former and present management, staff and supporters for their patience and understanding in allowing us to get to this point.
"Everyone at the EFL is now looking forward to working with the new ownership during the 2019/20 campaign and beyond."
Who is Steve Dale?
Steve Dale is a businessman who took over control at Bury in December 2018, buying the club from former chairman Stewart Day for £1.
A worrying 43 of the 51 companies Dale has been associated with have been liquidated.
Dale promised to work closely with the community to ensure the club became financially viable after years of cash problems.
The EFL have admitted they did not put him through the usual process of due diligence when he took control because the club's future was under threat at the time.
Dale wanted to sell the club, and initially came up with an asking price of £2million. He eventually dropped his demands to £810,000 for his "hard work".
There were three interested groups looking to buy Bury, but Dale failed to agree a deal with any of them.
He is now thought to be willing to accept an initial payment of £560,000 to relinquish control, with Bury saddled with overall debts of £9million.
What does this mean for League One during the 2019/20 season?
The EFL have decided Bury's record from the current season will be expunged - which currently stands at five matches suspended.
The same would have happened to Bolton if they had been expelled
The Trotters have been fielding an academy team so far this season and who lost 2-0 at Wycombe and 5-0 against Tranmere and Ipswich respectively, but did manage a credible 0-0 draw at home to Coventry.
League One has been reduced to a 23-team division for the 2019/20 season, before returning to the usual 24 next season.
Bury will have to apply to the Football Association if they remain as a football club, for entry to a league lower down the football pyramid in 2020/21.
What does it mean for League One relegation this year?
In a normal season, four teams are relegated from League One down to League Two.
For the 2019/20 season only, the EFL have now reduced the number of relegation places to three.
If Bolton were expelled, the number of relegation places would have been cut to two.
The number of promotion places up into the Championship remains unchanged.
What does it mean for League Two promotion this year?
In order to return League One to a 24 team division, the EFL need to find one extra club for next season.
That comes from reducing the number of relegation places from League One, rather than offering more promotion spots from League Two.
This means the four promotion places from League Two remain unchanged.
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How does it affect relegation from League Two and promotion from Conference?
Bury's expulsion leaves the number of professional sides at 91 instead of 92, and League Two with just 23 teams.
The EFL have therefore decided that only one team will be relegated to the Conference this season, with promotion places from the National League remaining unchanged at two.
Bolton's survival means that League Two will still have relegation and will avoid a scenario where every single team avoid the drop by default - this last happened in 1996.
That year, Torquay United finished bottom of the Football League, but were reprieved as Conference winners' Stevenage's ground didn't reach the league's minimum capacity requirements.
EFL must save Bury FC as it sits on brink of extinction
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